Steve Lacy - R.I.P.

[Frisco]

Originally Posted by Pete C

Was that the early '90s? That was the first time I saw him, then.

Yeah, I think it was part of the JVC or whatever they called it at the time. Free, outdoor concerts. Lacy's Sextet, Oliver Lake, David Murray, Arthur Blythe, George Coleman, Steve Turre. Lasted two or three years, I think. The Sextet was great in an outdoor setting. They also played at the Frog Island Festival, outdoors in Ypsilanti, MI., near Detroit. A quintet, minus Irene, which delighted many, but knowing the music, I was missing her parts.

Oh, speaking of Irene, I just remembered (what I thought was) a great duo with Steve and Irene at a bar in Buffalo, probably later 90's. Some drunk guy kept yelling out, "Cecil", "where's Cecil". Steve finally yelled back, "yeah man, Cecil, cecil".

[jazzfiend]

A very sad day, and a huge loss for the music world.

Pete, that was a marvelous post. Thanks.

[Capt.W./TX.]

His was one of the most distinctive and immediately identifiable sounds in jazz.

I have followed his career (on records) off and on for 40 years. The first records of his I ever heard were "Evidence" (w. Don Cherry) and his delightful solo on "Just One Of Those Things" (from "Gil Evans and Ten" - now on OJC).

It's sad to realize this ever-prolific artist/free spirit will no longer be with us.

RIP-you were one of my heroes!

[dz999999]

I have just learned Steve Lacy is dead. I went to see him at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, where he had just finished his 3 week mentoring of students, and he was supposed to appear for a recital. I was informed he had passed away. Very, very sad. Please post anything you might have, including Thelonius Monk, John Coltrane, and his other influences. He was 70 years old.

No news yet on his website:

http://www.stevelacy.com/

You must look at this webpage where he discussed what he had just taught his students at the Atlantic Center for the Arts. Intense!

http://www.atlanticcenterforthearts....may/s_lacy.htm

I always cry when great jazz musicians die.

Thanks,
DZ

[dz999999]

[dz999999]

Here's the correct link for Steve's last project, mentoring students at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna Beach, Florida. He was supposed to appear tonight at the recital but instead was honored. So very sad I had to leave in tears. But check out his intense words:

http://www.atlanticcenterforthearts..../res_sched.htm

If this doesn't work click on "2004 Residency Schedule" then May 17-June 6, 2004.

Thanks to Irwin for informing me about this group.

Mournfully,
David Z.

[Dennis Gonzalez]

Originally Posted by dz999999

No news yet on his website:

http://www.stevelacy.com/

dz, this isn't the website for the late soprano saxophonist.

This is really rotten news.

I had the honor of seeing Mr. Lacy perform a solo set at the Jewish Community Center in Washington D.C., with his wife Irene Aebi singing a few texts by William S. Burroughs for a few of the numbers. It was some beautifully strange (or strangely beautiful) music.

Pete, your first post was a pleasure to read.

[Frisco]

I just worked it out to go five hours, from 7pm to Midnight EDT, for the Steve Lacy broadcast on WHFR this coming Tuesday, June 8.
http://whfr.fm

[tom]

Originally Posted by Dennis Gonzalez

dz, this isn't the website for the late soprano saxophonist.

This is his website: http://senators.free.fr/

This is very very sad news.

[Dr Dave]

And again:

"No, baby. No, baby. No, no, no, baby..."

[Mike Schwartz]

A singular talent... another huge loss...

All the best to those he left behind

[Dig Gonsalves]

As 'complete' an individual we'll ever be able to dig in this lifetime.
The vision. The empathy and compassion.
What impeccable taste and style.

Lacy Lives.

[blawless]

Fresh Air will have a Steve Lacy remembrance this Friday, at least according to the promo I just heard. I checked npr.org but couldn't confirm.

[Nate Dorward]

I'd posted this earlier but think it got dropped when some threads got combined.


OUT OF A SUDDEN

the alphabet wonders
what it should do
paper feels useless
colours lose hue

while all musical notes
perform only in blue

a lombardy poplar
shadows the ground
drifted with swansdown
muffling the sound

at the tip of the lake
of the road to the south

above in the night sky
scattered by chance
stars cease their motion
poppies don't dance

in the grass standing still
by the path no-one walks

--Tom Raworth, an elegy for Franco Beltrametti set as "Absence" by Lacy on Bye-Ya

[tom]

I've got both Clinkers and actuality. Is 'sands' a recommended solo album?

[Paul B]

"Sands" is about the only Lacy solo album that I thinks falls short of the mark. The strange notion of Zorn pigeonholing Lacy into his "radical Jewish culture" trap--Lacy wrote a few sub-par tunes, such as "Jewgitive," to meet the criteria--makes this a weak effort. There are too many great Lacy solo albums out there; I'd only get "Sands" if you're a completist or you simply can't find anything else. It just falls flat on all fronts--the performance, the recording, the concept.

A few suggestions:

Remains
Live at the Unity Temple
Ballets (side 4)
Actuality
Ten of Dukes
Snips
Hooky
...and the list goes on


Bye-ya.

[Ron Thorne]

What an eloquent post (#7), Pete.

For many reasons, I'm more familiar with the work of the late Jim Pepper than Steve Lacy, though they had more than a few things in common, not the least of which was their fierce independence, rare sense of humor, and some stablemates ... among them, John Betsch and Mal Waldron.



RIP, Steve Lacy~

[rinkedinkus]

Last Solo

The tiny room is filled with the smoke
of a thousand cheap cigars
and some not so cheap

Made smaller by the constant din
of boisterous, toothy hellos
tinkling wine glasses
scraping chairs
and colliding pitchers of beer
balanced precariously
atop lilliputian tables

The bandstand is all but obscured by the fog
the music heard only at rare intervals
the band does not try to hide their weariness
drums reduced to a muffled ticking
piano like the chimes of a distant church
bass as hidden as the last lighthouse
on an endless sea
the soprano saxophone rests, softly gleaming
held by knowing hands
waiting patiently

Slowly the horn is raised
the din continues
with the first notes the clamor lessens
as the bell of the instrument
catches a beam
from the single struggling spotlight
scattering it wildly among the now silent crowd
like an explosion of jewels
each chorus widens their eyes further
as their feet struggle to find the floor
as the thunderous applause begins
joining this last solo

Too soon
a newsflash: Steve Lacy was dead
still the tables were beaten
this time in anguish
for a long moment
the crowds
the basses
the pianos
became silent.
On the day Steve died
The drums beat louder.

paul larson

goodbye Steve-you will live forever within me.

[Ron Thorne]

Wow, that was lovely, Paul.

I recently received a long-awaited recording (2-CDs) from Cadence, The Music of Jim Pepper - Witchi Tai To, arranged and conducted by Gunther Schuller, with the WDR Orchestra and The Remembrance Band. Included with the packing material was Volume 18 No. 12 of Cadence magazine from December 1992, with a photo of Steve Lacy on the cover. That issue featured interviews with Lacy and Gary Smulyan.

Here's a wonderful portion from that 12/31/91 interview.

"Well, Monk tried to teach me to stick to the point, really to concentrate, to focus on what was important, and to get away from what he called 'bullshit', which is a good name for it. Monk would tell me what not to do more than what to do. He would say 'Don't play all those weird notes, just play the melody.' Or, 'Don't play my part, I'm playing the piano: You play your part.' He was guiding me, he was trying to get me to swing. He was trying to get me to make the drummer sound good, and things like that. He gave me a lot of tips, how to construe my performance. It was invaluable, man, it was like a post-graduate course. Exemplary. A wonderful opportunity for me"

[Frisco]

Here's what I played for my memorial radio program on Tuesday evening. As I anticipated, five hours is not nearly enough to do justice to such a prolific artist as Steve Lacy. I didn't get to nearly enough solo material, poetry pieces, or stuff with Mal, but I think that I've done his music right over the years anyways. To Steve:

Steve Lacy - Blues for Aida - The Kiss (solo) - Lunatic Records

Cecil Taylor - Song - Jazz Advance - Blue Note
Steve Lacy - Work - Soprano Today - Prestige
Steve Lacy - Played Twice - The Straight Horn - Candid

Steve lacy - Barble / Chary - Disposability - Vik
Steve Lacy - Moon - Moon - BYG/Actuel
Mal Waldron/Steve Lacy 4tet - I Feel a Draft - Journey Withoout End - Viktor

Steve Lacy - Existence - Wordless - Musica
Steve Lacy Quintet - The Gap - The Gap - America
Steve Lacy - The Wane - Weal & Woe - Emanem
Steve Lacy Quintet - The Crust - Follies - SAJ

Monk Big Band - (opening of) Oska T. - Big Band & Quartet - Columbia
Steve Lacy - Four in One - Reflections - New Jazz
Steve Lacy 4 - In Walked Bud - Morning Joy - Hat Hut
Steve Lacy - Eronel - Only Monk - Soul Note
Steve Lacy 6 - Well You Needn't - We See - Hat Hut

Steve Lacy SExtet - Weal - Flakes - Vista
Steve Lacy Quintet - No Baby - Troubles - Black Saint
Steve Lacy Sextet - The Twain - The Wire - Denon (Japan)

Steve Lacy + 16 - Rain - Itinerary - Hat Hut
Steve Lacy Double Sextet - Torments - Clangs - Hat Hut

Steve Lacy & Kent Carter - Hex - Catch - Horo
Steve Lacy & M. Togashi - I Do Not Believe - Twilight - Nippon Crown
Steve Lacy - Bone - Stalks - Denon (Japan)
Steve Lacy - Snips - Lumps - ICP

Steve Lacy Sextet - Coastline - Ballets - Hat Hut
Steve Lacy Sextet - The Bath - Momentum - Novus
Steve Lacy Sextet - The Gleam - The Gleam - Silkheart

Steve Lacy/Roswell Rudd 4tet - Monk's Dream - School Days - Emanem
Mengleberg/Lacy/Rudd - Friday the 13th - Regeneration - Soul Note
Steve Lacy & Misha Mengleberg - Off Minor - Five Facings - FMP

Steve Lacy - Jack's Blues - Beat Suite - Sunnyside
Steve Lacy Seven - Stamps - Cliches (Prospectus) - Hat Hut

Steve Lacy & Derek Bailey - Input #3 - Outcome - Potlatch

Steve Lacy - The Uh Uh Uh - Revenue - Black Saint

[Nate Dorward]

From Stephen Vincent's blog (http://stephenvincent.durationpress.com/):


Walking Theory #42

In memoriam, Steve Lacy

Go trembling up into elegy this day’s
Sad calling: no one ever said the roll
Would stop rolling that who ever it is
Wander this planet, this love, this green thing
An itch on the foot continuous to celebrate
Loss is no mean thing: I’ve charmed you,
Left you, embraced, the continuum, the
Line fragmented, tortured or an ecstatic
Release rushes the heart woelessly, yet
Who, what, one circles in & out over &
Over again: we strange ones, so familiar.

[stevebop]

Frisco: Nice choices! Here is what I got to play on WGBH in Boston the day Steve died. I knew his music was being heard all over the World that weekend.

Steve Lacy: In A Sentimental Mood, 10 of Dukes/6 Originals (Senators)
Mal Waldron: Soul Eyes, One More Time (Sketch Records)
Helen Merrill: Motherless Child, Music Makers (Owl/Sunnysaide)
Steve Lacy: Wave Lover, Beat Suite (Sunnyside)
Steve Lacy: The Bath, Live At Sweet Basil (RCA Novus)
Steve Lacy/Danilo Perez: Monk's Dream, Live at The RegattaBar
(WGBH Recording not available commercially)
Steve Lacy: Let's Cool One, Evidence (New Jazz)
Steve Lacy: Played Twice, The Straight Horn of Steve Lacy (Candid)
Dick Sutton / Steve Lacy: Softly As In A Morning Sunrise; I'm Coming Virginia; My Old Flame; A Fogy Day, The Jaguar Sessions (Fresco Jazz LP)
Steve Lacy/Eric Watson: Reincarnation of A Lovebird, Spirit of Mingus (Freelance)
Steve Lacy/Roswell Rudd: 2300 Skiddoo, Regeneration (Soul note)
Steve Lacy: Day Dream, Soprano Sax (New Jazz)
Mal Waldro/Steve Lacy: You, One More Time (Sketch)
Steve Lacy: In A Mellow Tone, 10 of Dukes (Senators)

More of the music that Steve and Danilo Perez made at The RegattaBar in Cambridge MA in May 2003 will be heard on JazzSet this week. If you have a public radio station in your area check for time and date. It airs at different times. It was an honor to be able to record these two wonderful musicians.

Steve Schwartz
Jazz From Studio Four
Friday, 7p-midnight
WGBH, 89.7FM, Boston
www.wgbh.org

[Frisco]

Thanks Steve. Nice choices as well. But how can one go wrong with Lacy's music which was consistently fantastic. I never did pick up those Jaguar Sessions and wish that I had them.

Any word yet on a memorial concert in NYC or elsewhere?

[michaelr]

Originally Posted by Frisco

Thanks Steve. Nice choices as well. But how can one go wrong with Lacy's music which was consistently fantastic. I never did pick up those Jaguar Sessions and wish that I had them.

Any word yet on a memorial concert in NYC or elsewhere?

From the NEC site:

"New England Conservatory Jazz Studies Department will present a Steve Lacy Memorial Concert on Tuesday, October 12, 2004 at 8 p.m. in Jordan Hall. Steve's NEC students and faculty colleagues will perform."

[tom]

On Belgian radio http://www.klara.be/html/fs_programmas_XP.html


Gil Evans/ Helen Merrill: Summertime (Heyward/ Gershwin) - Verve 845 466
Gil Evans: Just One Of Those Things (Cole Porter) - Prestige 0JC 346
Steve Lacy: Louise (Cecil Taylor) - Candid CD9007
Steve Lacy: Monk’s Mood (Thelonious Monk) - hatART 6140
Steve Lacy: Hocus-Pocus (Steve Lacy) - Crépuscule TWI683
Steve Lacy/ Mal Waldron: House Party Starting (Herbie Nichols) - NOVUS 3098
Helen Merill: Lost In The Stars (Kurt Weill) - Gitanes 543 069
Gil Evans/ Steve Lacy: Goodbye Pork Pie Hat (Ch. Mingus) - OWL049CD
Lacy/ Humair/ Cox: Tina’s Tune (Steve Lacy) - Sketch 333028

[HLJ]

Dug Steve with Mal Waldron a few years back with JCer's Jason Bivens and MicahW.He's style was a little deep for me but there was this thing he did playing his horn into the piano and making it play was way cool.R.I.P Steve.Peace and all that.

[Capt.W./TX.]

My favorite Lacy:

"School Days", "Regeneration" & "Monk's Dream" (w. Roswell Rudd)
"Snake Out" (duo w. Mal Waldron)
"Evidence" (w. Don Cherry & Billy Higgins)
"Paris Blues" (duo w. Gil Evans; Evans' last record-just months before his death)

"Trickles" is a Lacy/Rudd collaboration I own, but have yet to really get into.

Other than the four Lacy/Rudd recorded collaborations I've mentioned here, are there any others I've missed?

[Frisco]

Originally Posted by Capt.W./TX.

My favorite Lacy:

"School Days", "Regeneration" & "Monk's Dream" (w. Roswell Rudd)
"Snake Out" (duo w. Mal Waldron)
"Evidence" (w. Don Cherry & Billy Higgins)
"Paris Blues" (duo w. Gil Evans; Evans' last record-just months before his death)

"Trickles" is a Lacy/Rudd collaboration I own, but have yet to really get into.

Other than the four Lacy/Rudd recorded collaborations I've mentioned here, are there any others I've missed?

Capt., there is a Lacy/Rudd version of Pannonica on a CD of Steve lacy duets called "Associates". It was originally put out on Felmay by Musica Jazz for their magazine, but I believe it has since been reissued. A series of ten duets featuring Lacy with Togashi, Potts, Waldron, Aebi, Rudd, Few, Bailey, Lewis, Gumpert, and Muhammad Ali.

[Paul B]

Capt., there is a Lacy/Rudd version of Pannonica on a CD of Steve lacy duets called "Associates".

A disc well worth picking up. The cuts came from Lacy's personal archive, and were assembled with great care. Let's hope more like this come out in the years to come; I imagine Lacy left a treasure trove of great recordings that have yet to be heard by the public.

Bye-ya.